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Uniting for health across sectors

Urbanization & health fact sheet

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Overview

Health and quality of life in cities are determined by a complex net of interrelated factors. The complexity means that in addition to the health sector, many other sectors of society need to be included when designing and implementing public policies to improve quality of life.

The inclusion of several sectors in public health initiatives is known as intersectoral action on health (ISA) and is a widely recognized approach. With large numbers of new health challenges arising in urban areas, the need for the involvement of several sectors is ever-expanding. However, only a small number of countries and cities have so far been successful in initiating such action. One of the reasons is that there are few easily replicable models of successful intersectoral action to follow.